Kaiju No.8: Monarch of Shadows

The Monarchess's proposal hung in the superheated air, a challenge wrapped in a flirtatious dare. A joint strike. A date with destruction. It was a test, a demonstration, and an invitation all at once.

Jin-Woo's expression remained unchanged, but his mind was racing. An Architect outpost? In the same city as the JDF bunker? It was a bold, arrogant move by his enemies, hiding right under the noses of their prey. The Monarchess offering up its location was a gift he couldn't refuse, regardless of the strings attached.

"Where?" he asked, his voice sharp.

The Monarchess smiled, a dazzling, predatory expression. [Oh, I won't just tell you. I'll take you.]

She raised her hands, and the sea of lava below them began to churn and boil. A massive wave of molten rock, a hundred feet high, rose from the depths. It didn't crash or break; it solidified, forming a colossal, winged creature of living magma and obsidian bone. Its eyes were twin furnaces, and its roar was the sound of a world being torn apart.

[My favorite steed,] the Monarchess purred, running a hand along the newly formed basalt railing. [Faster than any little metal toy.]

She turned back to Jin-Woo, her fiery gaze intense. [Well? Are you coming? Or will you let your little soldier have all the fun?]

Her words were a clear dismissal of Kikoru, and they echoed in the cockpit of the Karasu. Kikoru, who had been listening to the one-sided conversation via Jin-Woo's open comm link, felt a surge of pure fury. Little soldier? Toy? This fire-goddess was deliberately provoking her.

Before Kikoru could broadcast an angry retort, Jin-Woo's calm voice cut through the comms, directed at her. "Prepare for combat. Your target is a laboratory complex in the Shinjuku district. Industrial sector. Minimize collateral damage." His voice then dropped, becoming a low, serious command. "And Kikoru… do not engage the Monarchess. Under any circumstances. She is out of your league."

The order was a tactical necessity, but it felt like a slap in the face. He was telling her to stay away from the real fight.

Jin-Woo cut the comm link. He turned to the Monarchess. "I have my own transport."

He took a step back and simply dropped off the edge of the thousand-foot spire.

The Monarchess watched him fall, a surprised laugh escaping her lips. For a heart-stopping moment, he plummeted toward the lava sea. Then, just before he would have been consumed, a shadow erupted from beneath him. A colossal, winged beast of pure darkness, with glowing purple eyes and a draconic form, materialized from the void. It was Jin-Woo's trusted mount, the Shadow Dragon Kaisel.

Kaisel let out a silent, psychic roar that challenged the magma creature's own, a shriek of pure abyssal cold against raw, terrestrial heat. It caught Jin-Woo effortlessly on its back, its shadowy wings beating against the superheated air.

Jin-Woo now hovered level with the Monarchess, a king of shadows astride his nightmare steed, a perfect counterpoint to her fiery magnificence.

The Monarchess's eyes lit up with genuine delight. [Oh, marvelous! A matching set! I knew you were the Monarch for me!]

She gracefully leaped from the spire, landing on the back of her magma titan. With a gesture, she sent it hurtling toward the mainland, a living meteor of fire and earth. Jin-Woo and Kaisel followed, two shadows dancing in the wake of a comet.

Kikoru watched the two god-like beings depart. Her orders were clear. She slammed the Karasu's throttle forward, the stealth jet banking sharply as it raced to catch up, its path set for Tokyo. A grim determination settled over her. Fine. He wanted her to handle the grunts on the ground? She would be the most efficient, most devastatingly precise grunt this world had ever seen. She would show him what his "little soldier" could do.

The flight to Shinjuku was a blur of speed and power. The Monarchess's magma titan tore through the sky, leaving a trail of scorched air and dissipating storm clouds. Jin-Woo kept pace easily, his mind focused. This was a calculated risk. He was allowing a being of immense, chaotic power to approach a major population center. But it was a risk he had to take.

As they neared the city, the Monarchess slowed her steed.

[There,] she projected, her mental voice pointing him toward a sprawling, nondescript industrial complex on the outskirts of Shinjuku. It was a collection of gray warehouses and a single, windowless, 20-story concrete tower. To any normal observer, it was a chemical processing plant.

To Jin-Woo's senses, it was a festering wound. The entire complex reeked of the Architects' sterile, unnatural energy.

[They hide their labs in plain sight,] the Monarchess sneered. [So arrogant. They believe no one can see them.]

She brought her magma titan to a halt high above the city, a terrifying, silent omen in the sky. [The honor of the first strike is yours, my King. Show me the beauty of your shadows.]

She was testing him, waiting to see his approach.

Jin-Woo looked down at the complex. He could feel the life signs within. Dozens of humans—cultists and scientists working for the Architects—and a handful of slumbering, bio-engineered weapons. He could also feel the powerful energy shields protecting the facility.

He had promised Mina he would minimize collateral damage. A wide-scale shadow assault was out of the question. This required a scalpel, not a sledgehammer.

"A king does not always lead the charge," Jin-Woo said, his voice broadcast for her to hear. "He commands the perfect soldier for the perfect task."

His gaze drifted to the east, where the sleek, black form of the Karasu was now approaching.

His voice was a calm, clear command over the comm link. "Kikoru. You're on. The main tower is shielded. The shield generator is in the northernmost warehouse. It is your only target. Take it out. You have sixty seconds."

In the cockpit, Kikoru's eyes widened. This was it. Not a sideshow, but the opening move. The key to the entire operation. He was trusting her with it.

"Copy that, Monarch," she replied, her voice filled with a fierce, burning focus. A grin spread across her face. "Sixty seconds is fifty too many."

She armed her weapons systems. The Karasu dove, a silent black blade cutting through the sky. She was a golden warrior in a metal dragon, about to unleash hell on the command of a Shadow King, all while a goddess of fire watched from a throne in the sky. The battle for the Shinjuku lab had begun.